Probiotics are live microbial food supplements which beneficially affect the host by supporting naturally occurring gut flora, by competing harmful microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract, by assisting useful metabolic processes, and by strengthening the resistance of the host organism against toxic substances. A number of organisms is used in probiotic foods, an example being bacterial genera Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium, or Lactobacillus paracasei St11 (or NCC2461), Lactobacillus fortis, Lactobacillus johnsonii Lα1 (=Lactobacillus LC1, Lactobacillus johnsonii NCC533) or Bifidobacterium lactis. Probiotic organisms should survive for the lifetime of the product in order to be effective, and further they should survive the whole way through the gastrointestinal tract to the colon. Probiotic organisms are usually incorporated into milk products, such as yogurts. The need is felt to deliver the beneficial microorganisms in other foodstuff types, for example in liquid-based products especially those which undergo heat treatment in at least one stage of their preparation. The main problem in preparing liquid-based health food is the combination of high temperature and water that may destroy the whole, or a significant portion, of the included probiotics.
US 2005/0019417 A1 describes a method of preparing products containing moisture-sensitive living microorganisms including probiotics, comprising at least the steps through which a suspension of probiotics and a sugar polymer in water miscible solvent is sprayed onto a water soluble, gel-forming solid particles. By these means, the core composed of water soluble gel-forming solid particles may absorb solvent residues and provide protection to probiotics placed onto said core.